Well pumping device



Oct. 29, 1935. L. w. BLAU WELL PUMPING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ...l ....UM.. l:

0d. 29, 1935. wl BLAU WELL PUMPING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet `2 Patented Oct. 1935 atraveo l Application April 1'?, 1934, Serial No. 720,925

This invention relates to improvements in the pumping of oil; In pumping oil, the presence of salt water in the oil bearing sand often results in the formation ot a so-cailed salt water cone adjacent the pump inlet. This cone is dueto the pressure gradient produced by the pump. The salt water cone remains even after the pumping ceases on account of the surface tension of the salt water. After the salt water cone has been formed, salt water is oil.- The ratio of salt water to the oil produced increases with time. Many wells produce ten l times as much salt water as oil and some even approximately a hundred times as much salt water as oil. In the later stages so much salt water is produced that even though oil is still present in the oil bearing sand above the salt water, it becomes necessary to abandon because production is* no longer protable.

Such abandonment results in decreased provts for the producing organization and results in waste of the oil left in the s and. 'The production of salt water is very undesirablealso because the salt water brought to the sln'face must be disposed of and this disposal is often very expensive.

It is an object of this invention to cheaply, convenientlyand practically prevent the production of salt water from vpumping or dowing wells. Other objects will be apparent from the specication and from the accompanying drawings in which latter- Fig. l is a 'diatic view of an oil well showing an improved pumping apparatus in longitudinal sectional vie Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the pumping apparatus of Fig. l;

FigV is a transverse sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modied form of pumping apparatus; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the modiiied form of pumping apparatus.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 'and 3 of the drawings. reference letters A, B, designate the surface of the ground. sediments or rocks overlying the oil bearing sand D, the bottomA of which is saturated with salt water E. An oil well extends from the surface AB, into the oil bearing sand D and is provided with tubing I. The bottom of the tubing i carries a pump cylinder or working barrel 2. A

plunger 4 for the barrel 2 is attached to a pump' rod 6. A check valve 1 is provided at the bottom of the barrel 2 and a traveling rge check Yvalve 9 is attached to the plunger 8g. VV'the pump produced along with thex the well The letter C designates v operates as follows: On the downward stroke of the plunger 6, the valve. 'I closes while the valve 9 is opened. When the vplunger 4 has reached its lowest position, the valve 9 closes and as the plunger t starts on its upward stroke. the valve 5 i opens admitting oil to the barrel 2. While the plunger 6l is rising and the valve 'i is open, a. very low pressure exists at the valve l. This low pressure 'and the resultant pressure gradient has been responsible for the gradual formationof a salt ln water cone below the barrel 2 which accounts for the increasipg ratio of salt water to oil produced. The prevention of the sait water cone is edected by the following arrangement of parts: A tube or pipet I5 depends from the barrel? on the inlet side if of the barrel and rests on the bottonil of pipe I. A partition I6 extends transversely of the tube I5 between the ends of the tube dividing the tube into compartments X and Y. The tube I5 is provided with a plurality of openings I 8 'in the side walls Y" of the compartment X between the partition I Ii and the barrel 2, constituting inlet openings through which oil is drawn into the pump inlet.` 'I'he tubing I constitutes a discharge line which leads from the barrel 2 whereby a head of oil is 25 maintained in the discharge line. I

Return conduit means lead from the discharge line to the compartment Y beneath the partition I6. The return conduit means comprise a plurality of tubes 25 which lead from the discharge 30 line I through inlet openings 28 above the barrel 2 and which deliver the by-passed oil through openings 28 into the compartment Y. The compartment Y is provided with a plurality of openings S in its side'and bottom-walls.. The com- 35 partment Y thereby serves as an outlet whereby a portion of the-oil from the line i is delivered under tliehe of pressure inthe line into the sand beneath the compartment Y whereby water v in the sand below the compartment Y is forced 40 away from the outlet. g

The tubes 25 are fastened to tube i on the outside of the working b arrel 2 and on tube I5 in such a manner that oil in the tubing I can run into the tubes 25 from a point above the working 45 barrel 2 and down the tubes to the compartment Y. The size and number of the tubes 25 is determined by the amount of oil which it is desired to return to the compartment Y from the tubing i. The compartment Y becomes a 50- source of oil at high pressure. A salt water cone can no longer be formed around the inlet valve 'i of the pump.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, a moed form of tire invention is shown in which a wall iid projects radially outwardly from the tube I5 adjacent the partition I6 and between 4the inlet openings I8 of the compartment X and the outlet openings 30 .of the compartment Y. Otherwise the construction of the pumping apparatus is identical with the structure disclosed in Figs. l, 2 and 3, and like reference numerals have been applied to like parts. 'I'he presence of the wall 35 acts as a barrier to the flow of salt water to the check valve 1. In the preferred method of forming the oil delivered by the compartment Y is now forced farther away from the pump inlet with the result that the salt water E is also removed to a greater distancev from" the working barrel and from the check valve I 'I'he extreme position of the salt water in its built up position around the pumping apparatus under the inuence of the oil discharged from the compartment Y is indicated at 36 upon the drawings.

Various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims in which it is desired to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

1. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oil and water in a well, comprising a working barrel of a pump adapted to be disposedadjacent the bottom of the well, a pipe depending from the pump inlet having a closed bottom endand having lateral inlet openings through which oil is drawn into the barrel, an

outlet beneath the closed bottomend, a discharge line leading upwardly from the barrel whereby a head of liquid is maintained in the line, and

return conduit means leading from the dischargey line to the outlet to deliver a portion of the oil from the line through the outlet un'der'the head of pressure in the line whereby water in the earth below'the outlet is forced away from 'the outlet.

2. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oil and -water in a. well according t0 claim 1, in which the outlet is a perforated chamber.

3. Apparatus for pumping pil from superposed layers of oil and water in a well according to claim l, in which a wall protrudes radially outi' wardly form the pipe beneath the lateral inlet openings.

4. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oil and water in a well according to claim 1, in which the return conduit means is a 10 plurality of conduits disposed around the pipe.

5. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oll and water in a well, comprising a working barrel of a pump adapted to be disposed adjacent the bottom of the well, a tube dependl5 ing from the pump inlet and having openings. in its side and bottom walls, a partition extending transversely between the ends of the tube; the lateral openings between -the partition and the barrel constituting inlet openings through which oil is drawn into the pump inlet, a` discharge line leading upwardly from the barrel whereby a head of oil is maintained in the line, and return conduit means leading from the discharge line to the tube beneath the partition, the openings below the partition being discharge openings to deliver a portion of the oil from the line under the head of pressurein the line whereby water in the earth below the barrel is forced away from the barrel. $0

6. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oil and water in a well according to claim 5, in which a wall protrudes radially outwardly from the tube between the inlet openings and .e discharge openings. 3 7. Apparatus for pumping oil from superposed layers of oil and water in awell according to claim 5, in which the return conduit means is a plurality of conduits disposed around the tube.

8. 'I'hel method of pumping oil from super- 40 posed layers of ol and water in a well, which comprises pumping oil upwardly in a conned stream from-an inlet in the oillayer and returning a portion of 'the oil from the stream to the area gimmediately below the inlet of the stream whereby the pressure of the returning oil prevents coning of the water.

LUDWIG W. BLAU. 

